Muñoz-Miquel, Ana (2023). La traducción médico-sanitaria: profesión y formación. Granada: Comares, pp. 196, paperback, €19.95. ISBN 978-84-1369-510-5

Sara García Fernández, Universidad de Salamanca

In today’s increasingly interconnected and globalised world, specialised translation training and practice has become more critical than ever. As industries, institutions, people and texts expand across progressively liquid borders — to use Bauman’s concept (2007) —, including physical, temporal, cultural, ideological and linguistic borders, the need for multi-skilled professional translators who can accurately and effectively convey complex information in specific fields — such as medicine and healthcare — continues to grow. In this context, medical translation, a highly specialised practice that emerges as the cornerstone of global healthcare, contributes to breaking through linguistic and cultural barriers. It bridges the gap between professionals, patients, institutions and the general public, allowing every stakeholder to access the information that they may require and to take active part in the communicative exchanges that they engage in. These days, the prolific and ever-evolving health field is constantly generating substantial amounts of information and research outcomes at a rapid rate which need to be quickly shared and understood. Therefore, medical translation turns out to be a highly demanded communicative mediation service, both from an inter-linguistic, cross-cultural perspective and from an intra-linguistic, user-friendly viewpoint, catering to general audiences’ needs. Accurate medical translation is essential for the adequate provision of healthcare services in a wide variety of real-life situations and for the advancement of medical research and its dissemination. Hence, specialised and comprehensive training, groundbreaking research and up-to-date professional expertise become indispensable in this domain. Ana Muñoz-Miquel is definitely aware of the current state of affairs in this field and has decided to address the most relevant issues and challenges in the unprecedented, inspiring, far-sighted, and enlightening volume La traducción medico-sanitaria: profesión y formación.

The main goal of this work is to offer a condensed, up-to-date, practice-oriented handbook for a field of high academic, professional and research interest and potential. Drawing on her own training and research expertise, the author aspires to create a thorough reference monograph that analyses and describes medical translation from a broad angle in order to compose an all-inclusive and updated roadmap for medical translation students and professionals. This way, she encourages readers to approach key features of and major challenges in this specialised and dynamic realm, so as to learn how to unravel its mysteries and solve its puzzles. On the basis of her analysis of current professional market needs and expectations, the author elaborates an exhaustive didactic proposal in the final chapter of the book that clearly constitutes one of its main highlights and an extraordinarily valuable contribution to medical translation research, training and praxis.

The volume is deliberately and sensibly divided into two different parts consisting of three and two chapters, respectively. Part I, “Características de la traducción medico-sanitaria y aspectos profesionales” [“Features and professional aspects of medical translation”], operates as the theoretical framework that shapes the second, more training-oriented part. It includes two chapters that explores research considerations and findings in the field, and a third chapter devoted to outlining the current professional landscape of medical translation. The pragmatic approach that the author prioritises throughout this monograph is clearly reflected in the two chapters of part II, “La formación en traducción medico-sanitaria” [“Training in medical translation”], where Muñoz-Miquel describes and fully develops her exceptionally useful proposal of activities, materials and resources for medical translation training programmes. Before diving deeper into each chapter, it is worth mentioning that the overall structure of the volume is another one of its standout features. Contents and ideas are plainly explained and logically intertwined, and points are clearly made. By the same token, every chapter starts with a brief, simple introduction of the information that readers can find in its pages and ends with a bullet-point, recap section containing the key contents and aspects addressed in it. This makes it easier for users to access both the most important ideas and specific points in a quicker and more practical way, which definitely represents a sought-after component in a guide-style publication.

The first chapter of the volume aligns with the increasingly advocated consolidation of medical and healthcare translation as a specialised field in its own right within Translation Studies from an academic, research and professional perspective. In order to do so, the author delves into the history of this discipline, highlighting its undeniable relevance when it comes to scientific and the development, dissemination and outreach of medical knowledge. Along the pages of this relevant and enlightening theoretical introduction, the author unfolds the scientific grounds on which she bases her conceptualisation of medical translation as an independent field of study that has matured beyond its traditional categorisation under the broader label of “scientific and technical translation”. According to these thought-provoking claims, medical translation meets key criteria to be considered an independent field of study — an increasing and targeted body of literature of its own; a growing, active and skilled professional community gathering in different associations, as well as specialised training programmes both at university level and outside the academic world. Indeed, the author’s extensive and rigorous research on this topic proves that medical translation is an independent, on-the-rise specialised field of study and highly-demanded professional niche.

Leaning on this well-argued delimitation and definition of medical translation as a specialised discipline within Translation Studies, in the second chapter the author dives into the intrinsic, remarkably diverse nature of medical translation, analysing the manifold and multidimensional features that define it, and foregrounding the corresponding, most common translation challenges that translators have to address when faced with a translation brief in this field. On the basis of the practical approach of the entire book, Muñoz-Miquel, then, proceeds to share some of the key strategies that expert professionals develop and implement at different phases of the translation process in order to produce high-quality translation outcomes and successfully meet those demanding challenges. Additionally, on a second, more specific level, this chapter includes a diverse, extensive and reliable set of documentary sources, working tools and tips to maximise time and energy during the translation process as a whole. One of the major and most valuable strengths of this section that definitely adds to the usefulness of the volume are the well-established and clear-cut criteria that the author applies to determine whether sources are trustworthy or not, such as authorship, purpose, information quality and date of last update. This guidance may prove especially helpful for professional translators, scholars, professors and students who share an interest in this area.

In the third chapter, there is a shift in perspective as the author leads readers to take a meaningful look into the reality of the translation market, analysing the professional arena of medical translation. In this vein, Muñoz-Miquel lists and describes the main sectors that usually require medical translation services. Her central interest in this regard lies in the specificities of translators’ work in different settings and also in the new communication paradigms emerging in these sectors, arising from recent challenges in the ever-evolving healthcare world which are transforming the traditional provision of medical translation services. The author specifically highlights two crucial turning points as the explanation for those changes, i.e., the increasing automation and use of AI in translation processes and practice, especially with the democratisation of neural machine translation, and, in a parallel and somewhat contradictory way, a growing encouragement of greater and more active human intervention in medical communication. These two interrelated challenges stress the need for resourceful and multifaceted translators who are able to offer the added value that humanisation brings about in the increasingly automated workflow in and for most current healthcare environments. In a nutshell, today’s professional translator is expected to bridge the gap between technology and human insight, promoting their coexistence, while also tailoring solutions to the specific needs of diverse audiences and multilingual contexts. To conclude, and drawing also on the expectations of the translation industry, the author reviews key principles of professional ethics and deontological codes that must prevail in the field of medical translation. Taking on a complementary perspective, it is claimed that professional associations play a crucial role in encouraging of collaboration, visibility and defining standards of professional integrity. For this purpose, the author outlines the scope and competences of some of them. All in all, this chapter gives readers a closer look into real-life praxis and, at the same time, it builds on the two preceding chapters to provide a solid foundation for the proposed activities in the volume’s training-focused section. The easy and natural transition from the first, more theoretical section to the second, more practice-oriented one illustrates its cohesive and carefully designed layout, as we already noted in the introductory lines of this review.

Part II, where the practical and educational approach that characterises this book reaches its peak, is divided into two chapters. Chapter four revolves around the foundational aspects of medical translation training, in tune with the professional market needs discussed earlier. In this ideal introduction to chapter five, the author examines some of the main methodological approaches usually adopted in translation training, advocating for a combined perspective that incorporates the strengths of each. The remaining pages review major studies and publications on medical translation training stemming from both professional and academic spheres. These contributions essentially focus on the skills, expertise, critical awareness and understanding abilities that future medical translators need (and are expected) to develop so as to being able to deliver high-quality results. All this information is clearly and visually organised in different tables that allow for their content to be readily processed and understood. In summary, in order to train qualified professional translators, a suitable medical translation programme should stress the usefulness of textual genres as powerful learning tools, place critical analysis, information mining skills, and understanding abilities at the centre of any translation process, as well as focus on enhancing service provision competences. Ultimately, any educational programme should aim at promoting employability, which, in this day and age within the translation industry, means encouraging the adaptability of trainees through a wide range of qualifying, market-aligned activities.

As already mentioned, the volume culminates in a particularly valuable contribution to Translation Studies, training, research and professional practice: a helpful, comprehensive, well-informed four-module didactic proposal. Multiple activities and resources are displayed at is point, aiming to pave the way to acquiring basic competences for medical translation practice. It is worth noting that the exercises and tools are designed and conceived for English-Spanish translation trainees. Firstly, in the introduction of the chapter, the author itemises and highlights the professional competences that are developed by implementing this proposal, as well as the main learning outcomes targeted. She then summarises how the proposal is organised and the key criteria that have been applied to select the materials, genres and activities that are used. After briefly contextualising her proposal, the four modules are presented, with a short description of contents and goals that precedes multiple exercises, each of them duly justified and explained, alongside the necessary texts and tools. Through this material, the author pursues a twofold intention: on the one hand, via modules 1 and 2, assisting readers in both recognising the most important features of medical translation and successfully rising to common challenges in the field; on the other hand, aiding trainees to become familiar with recurring textual genres within two profitable and prolific professional sectors that tend to require medical translation services, namely the publishing and the pharmaceutical industries, to which the author devotes the activities in modules 3 and 4, respectively. These activities vary in nature, length, goals, dynamics, necessary and materials used in order to cover the idiosyncrasies and challenges of medical translation services from an overarching, fitting, down-to-earth outlook. Lastly, in the final pages of the volume, the author assembles an exhaustive collection of recommended readings, as well as relevant reference resources.

In conclusion, this realistic volume offers an illustrative overview of the actual application and practical relevance of significant research on medical translation. This well-built and all-encompassing study definitely shows true potential to become a reference work and valuable resource within Translation Studies for either (re)training, qualifying and academic purposes. Indeed, in line with other volumes within neighbouring specialised fields in Translation Studies which are similar in terms of structure, intended audience, goals, methodology or approach (Monzó Nebot, 2015; Cerezo Merchán, 2019; Svoboda et al., 2023), Muñoz-Miquel addresses key educational and professional aspects that are relevant for both future and currently active translators, as well as researchers and scholars. The book contributes to acquiring and enhancing the expected competences and to developing a versatile, flexible, liquid and, therefore highly-employable profile. Additionally, the prevailing practical approach adopted by the author throughout the volume is particularly welcome. First, in a master move which stands as a noteworthy highlight of her book, the author harmoniously combines research, training and professional viewpoints in a successful attempt to help all stakeholders — translators, researchers, trainers and students — find the answers they require and align their working methodologies to the real, challenging needs of the sector that they all take part in. Second, her contribution becomes an extremely helpful ally that allows access to a comprehensive compendium of worthwhile research findings, resources and tools in one single volume. What is more, readers are presented with a wide variety of multipurpose activities which are not only carefully designed for gradual development of specialised competences, but also aligned with current professional demands and market conditions. All these salient points add to the value of Muñoz-Miquel’s work and reaffirm the importance of high-quality training as a major asset for accurate and reliable medical translation services.

References

Bauman, Z. (2007). Liquid Times: Living in an Age of Uncertainty. Polity Press.

Cerezo Merchán, B. (2019). Audiovisual translator training. In L. Pérez González (coord.), The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation (pp. 468-482). Routledge.

Monzó Nebot, E. (2015). Understanding legal interpreter and translator training in times of change. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 9(2), 129-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399X.2015.1051766.

Svoboda, T., Biel, Ł., & Sosoni, V. (eds.). (2023). Institutional Translator Training. Routledge.

Acknowledgements

The author currently holds a predoctoral research position funded by a training grant (FPU) awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities. She is also a member of the Research Group “Traducción, Ideología y Cultura” (GIR TRADIC) at the University of Salamanca.

Sara García Fernández

Universidad de Salamanca

Email: saragf20@usal.es